The drop in prices are mainly due to the fact that Nissan has moved Leaf production from Japan to Tennessee

Nissan’s Leaf just experienced a dramatic price drop, making it the cheapest five-seater electric vehicle (EV) in the U.S. At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said the price of the base model 2013 Leaf has been cut by $6,400. Last year’s base model went for $35,200, and now, the 2013 Leaf S will sell for $28,800 to start before a $7,500 federal tax credit (and any applicable state credit/rebate) is applied.

A couple of other Leaf models have seen a price cut as well. The Leaf SV will drop from last year’s price of $35,200 to $31,820 this year. The Leaf SL is also going from $37,250 last year to $34,840 this year.

“With nearly 50,000 Leafs on the road globally, we are the leaders in zero emissions vehicles and our class-leading product just got better,” said Billy Hayes, Global vice president of Leaf sales for Nissan. “From the very outset, Nissan has continuously advanced and refined the affordable zero emissions vehicle ownership experience. Now customers won’t have to pay a premium for owning a green car that’s really fun to drive, and that’s exciting.”

2013 Nissan Leaf

The drop in prices is mainly due to the fact that Nissan has moved Leaf production from Japan to Tennessee. It also has its lithium-ion batteries and motors manufactured there. Nissan announced that it began Leaf production at a new plant in Smyrna, Tennessee last Thursday. It will build the Leaf and gasoline vehicles in this plant, while building batteries at a separate plant next door. The plant is the result of a 2010 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loan for $1.4 billion. According to the DOE, Nissan can build up to 150,000 Leafs and 200,000 batteries annually at the Tennessee plants

Later, Nissan had to admit that it wasn’t going to hit its sales mark for 2012, which was 20,000 Leafs. Nissan only sold 9,819 Leafs for the whole year -- less than half of its goal, and only 1.5 percent higher than the number it sold in 2011.

quote: I also don't think leasing is ever a good deal, or buying brand new either but if you are going to do it, the leaf is not the cheapest of options, nor the best options.

Leasing is cheaper than buying and reselling after the same term, because you don't pay the full sales tax and you also protect yourself from excessive depreciation. It's only a bad deal if they stick you with a high interest rates.

If you can't disprove my numbers that show an EV is cheaper over the first 3 years, then you have to show me something radical happens in the next 2 years for an EV to not be worth it after 5 years.

Your problem is that you think all cars are worth the same after five years. That's BS. A 100MPG car is worth a lot more than a 30MPG car. The most reliable Nissan (according to Consumer Reports) will be worth a lot more used than a low end Kia will, because the latter will have higher maintenance costs.

What numbers? 200 a month for a leaf? How many years? How much down? Mileage restrictions? Show me a link and I'll find a better deal.

I don't think all cars are worth the same after 5 years. I don't know where you came up with that one.

As far as Nissans reliability rating goes, the leaf is an outlier. That rating applies to their ice vehicles. I know they have dropped there lease prices on the leaf because of the problems they have had with the batteries, and sales have been soft.

Performance is the least of your problems in your ridiculous suggestion of a Smart Fortwo as a Leaf substitute, but it's still a problem. 9 seconds to 60 is not a race car. It is practical, allows safe passing on the highway, and won't anger the guy behind you. 13 seconds is a major headache for everyday drivability.

quote: As far as the Rio goes, if you had bothered to look at the link you would have saw all of these:

Not a single car on that list can be leased and fueled for less than $240/mo. If you think so, then prove me wrong.

Your link is broken. All I see is all of Nissan's models with their MSRP.

Tell me the details, and make sure it's at least somewhat equally equipped:http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/ni...Power windows, power door locks, remote key, CD/MP3 at the very least, since the majority of cars sold today have these features. (FYI, the base Leaf S also has automatic temperature control, bluetooth handsfree, proximity key, trip computer...)

Don't give me some econobox with zero features like you did with the Rio.

go to the site, click on versa 1.6s and check out the lease. Its $129. Go to the epas fuel economy site and check out the mileage.

Make the argument that it doesn't have this it doesn't have that. I don't care. I'll trade power locks for unlimited driving range any day. That's two cars that are cheaper and one of those cars is from that list.

Why are you in this thread if you don't care about the economics or the gas saved because of the range? All along you've been talking nonsense, relying on range as a crutch to disparage the Leaf now that you lost the economics argument.

If you can live with the range, then the Leaf is cheaper to lease and operate for the first three years than any other comparable car.

So now its about powered windows! good lord...YOu said I couldn't find ANY cars. I showed you TWO cars that are cheaper to lease vs the price to lease a leaf in California. Everywhere else its $220 not $199. With that wiggle room I can find a few other cars that are just as economical and probably with power windows.

I also showed you cars that are MORE ECONOMICAL to buy and operate vs purchasing a leaf.

So yeah I did disprove what you said. I proved you do not have to live within the range of a leaf and still find a car that is MORE ECONOMICAL to lease and operate than a leaf.

Go scroll up and READ you illiterate. I said, "You'll be hard pressed to beat that in a comparably performing gas vehicle". I didn't say find ANY box on four wheels. There is nothing comparable about a Smart Fortwo or a base Versa. That you resorted to such barebones cars proves me precisely right, as you are so hard pressed to find a gas competitor that you have to resort to finding cars lacking features that virtually every new car buyer demands.

The $220/mo leases are for the 2012 Leaf, which had a starting MSRP of $35200. This one starts at $28,800. Post-tax rebate, that's a 23% price cut. 23% off of $220 is $169, so my $200/mo estimate is very conservative for this new model. So no, you don't get any wiggle room.

You didn't prove jack.

A base Rio is more economical than a well equipped Corolla. A Smart ForTwo is more economical than a Rio. A motorbike is more economical than a ForTwo. A moped is more economical than a motorbike. What did I prove in this paragraph? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Compare apples to apples, or GTFO. IF you don't need more than 70 miles of daily range, then you compare your options by all other features and price.

You pointed out one option for the <6% of buyers that don't want power windows/locks. You pointed out another option for the <1% that only want two seats. You still haven't given an option for 93% of new car buyers.

That's not pickiness. That's calling you out on your lame suggestions.

-seats 3 more peopleThe average commuter vehicle carries 1.1 people, so unless you are carpooling it won't matter.-has over twice the passenger volumeOnly because it has to accommodate a second row of people. I'm a large 6'1" and fit comfortably in a Smart.-twice the trunk spaceI can fit a good weeks worth of groceries in the trunk, and If I need more space I can always use my other vehicle (The smart would be lousy as a only vehicle, but in most cases so would a Leaf)-gets to 60mph 5 sec quicker.Like in rush hour traffic this is an issue? I've never had a problem getting up to speed to merge with freeway traffic. Perhaps with the slow acceleration I get home 1-2 min slower - but then again for my commute I'll get there $40-$60/month richer.

And the Leaf had so much better sales at 9800, despite having a huge marketing push.

They are both niche market vehicles. And for many people the Smart would be a cheaper alternative. Many people may not want to deal with the drawbacks of the Smart, but it is rather obvious that many people don't want to deal with the drawbacks of the Leaf as well.

(Also, you did miss one other cost for the Leaf, bought or leased - you still need to buy and have a home charger installed - that car run $700-$1400 depending on how muck electrical work needs to be done to get a 240volt 30amp circuit to where you park your car.)

Once again, this whole article and discussion is only relevant for people that can live with that range in their second car. If not, you don't care about the price drop. You don't care about how much gas the car cars.

So if that's all you got, then leave the discussion, because you are irrelevant to it and the article is irrelevant to you.